JP2008121102A - Base material treating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a base material treating apparatus provided with a seal mechanism for suppressing flowing-out of a treating liquid from each opening formed in a treating vessel without holding the base material between seal rollers. <P>SOLUTION: The base material treating apparatus has the treating vessel 1 housing the treating liquid inside, slender openings 10 which are formed on the opposed side surfaces 1b of the treating vessel and through which a belt-like base material (w) arranged and transported with the width direction directed toward vertical direction is passed and the sealing mechanism 2 provided around each opening to suppress the flowing-out of the treating liquid. The sealing mechanism is provided with a liquid spray nozzle 20 for spraying the liquid toward the opening side under the liquid surface of the treating liquid. A cylindrical recovery vessel 22 with a bottom having the opposed side surface of the treating vessel 1 as one side surface to surround the opening is provided to the outside part of each opposed side surface. The liquid spray nozzles are provided to both sides across the opening in each recovery vessel respectively and are arranged to spray the liquid toward a direction intersecting the transporting direction of the base material passed through the opening respectively. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a base material processing apparatus for manufacturing a flexible substrate or the like by performing wet processing such as plating processing on a strip-shaped base material to be processed with a processing solution such as a plating solution.

  As an example of this flexible substrate, there is, for example, a copper laminated polyimide film used as a printed wiring board for a mobile phone or a display. In general, this copper laminated polyimide film has a nickel chromium alloy sputter layer and a copper sputter layer formed on the alloy sputter layer sequentially on one or both sides of a polyimide film having a thickness of several tens of μm. The belt-shaped substrate for processing is configured by performing copper plating.

  And this copper plating process supplies a base material to the plating tank filled with plating solutions, such as copper sulfate, and the sputter layer which consists of an alloy sputter layer and a copper sputter layer with the electrode arrange | positioned outside the plating tank Is carried out by forming a plating layer on the copper sputter layer. In that case, since the film thickness of the sputter layer is extremely thin, there is an upper limit on the amount of current flowing through the sputter layer, and only a thin plating layer is formed on the copper sputter layer in the plating process by one plating tank.

  For this reason, the copper laminated polyimide film manufacturing apparatus is generally provided with a plurality of plating tanks along the manufacturing line, and each plating tank has an elongated opening through which the substrate passes on the opposite side surface in the vertical direction. It is formed towards.

  On the other hand, the base material is disposed in the vertical direction in the band width direction, and is sequentially supplied into each plating tank through an opening formed in each plating tank, and is discharged out of each plating tank. It is transported along the production line. And when a thin plating layer is formed in the first plating tank, the substrate flows in the second plating tank because the amount of current flows by the thickness of the sputter layer and the copper plating layer. A plating layer having a thickness larger than that of the first layer is formed, and similarly, a plating layer having a film thickness is formed step by step in the third and fourth tanks, and finally, copper plating having a thickness is gradually formed on the thin sputter layer. A layer is formed, and a copper laminated polyimide film in which a copper plating layer having a desired thickness is formed.

By the way, as described above, the copper laminated polyimide film manufacturing apparatus has a pair of openings on the opposite side surfaces of the plating tank, and the base material is conveyed through the openings. The plating solution will flow out.
For this reason, each plating tank needs to be provided along the production line by providing a sealing mechanism that suppresses the outflow of the plating solution around the opening. In addition, as shown in Patent Document 1, there is known one provided with a pair of seal rollers that sandwich a base material around the opening.
The pair of seal rollers can suppress the outflow of the plating solution while sandwiching the base material by being disposed so as to seal the opening.

  However, the seal roller needs to be tightly attached to the base material in order to suppress the outflow of the plating solution from the opening. If foreign matter is adhered, the foreign matter is transferred to the base material. On the other hand, since the base material is repeatedly supplied to the plating tank, the probability that foreign matter is transferred onto the copper sputtered layer or the plating layer increases, and when the foreign matter is transferred, plating is performed on the transferred foreign matter. Processing will be performed. For this reason, protrusions are formed on the substrate by forming the plating layer on the foreign matter, or concave portions are formed by not attaching the plating layer on the foreign matter. In this way, the seal roller has caused a defect in the copper plating layer.

JP 2003-147582 A

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and suppresses outflow of a processing solution such as a plating solution from an opening formed in a processing bath such as a plating bath without sandwiching a base material by a seal roller. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus provided with a sealing mechanism that can be used.

  The present inventors are slimes generated from the anode electrode for the plating process in which the foreign matter adhering to the base material by the seal roller floats in the plating solution. The present invention has been completed by finding out that the transfer of foreign matter cannot be prevented.

That is, the invention relating to the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 has a treatment tank in which a treatment liquid is accommodated, and is arranged on the opposite side surface of the treatment tank with the band width direction directed vertically. A substrate processing apparatus provided with a long and narrow opening through which a belt-shaped substrate to be conveyed is formed, and provided with a seal mechanism for suppressing the outflow of the processing liquid around the opening, The sealing mechanism includes a liquid ejection nozzle that ejects the processing liquid toward the opening side below the liquid surface of the processing liquid.
Here, the liquid ejection nozzle that ejects the treatment liquid may be a liquid ejection nozzle that ejects a treatment liquid having a concentration different from that of the treatment liquid accommodated in the treatment tank, and is at least accommodated in the treatment tank. This means that the liquid ejection nozzle ejects a treatment liquid having the same composition as the treatment liquid.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus of the first aspect, the processing liquid that flows out of the opening, surrounding the opening with the opposing side surface as one side surface outside the facing side surface. A bottomed cylindrical recovery tank is provided, and the liquid ejection nozzles are provided in the recovery tank and on both sides of the opening, and each passes through the opening. The treatment liquid is arranged so as to be ejected in a direction crossing the conveyance direction of the base material.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the liquid jet nozzle is characterized in that the jet pressure is kept constant by the head pressure.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to the second or third aspect, wherein the sealing mechanism is downstream of the liquid ejection nozzle in the recovery tank and has the substrate interposed therebetween. On both sides of the substrate, an outflow path for the processing liquid is formed along the surface of the base material, and a plurality of staying portions of the processing liquid communicating with the outflow path are formed to reduce the flow rate of the processing liquid. It is characterized by the formation of a labyrinth.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the second or third aspect, wherein the sealing mechanism is an atmosphere in which the processing liquid can be stored downstream of the liquid ejection nozzle in the recovery tank. An open-type inflow tank is disposed, and the inflow tank has a plurality of partition walls disposed along the transport direction in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the base material in the tank. The inside of the tank is divided into a plurality of partition tanks, and the partition wall is gradually formed lower toward the downstream side, and an opening through which the base material passes is formed corresponding to the opening. It is said.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the second or third aspect, the liquid ejection nozzle is configured such that the ejection port for ejecting the treatment liquid to the opposing surface on the substrate side is in the vertical direction. It is characterized by being formed so as to be elongated toward the surface, and the opposing surface is disposed so as to maintain an interval of 0.1 mm or more and 2.5 mm or less from the base material.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus of the sixth aspect, the liquid ejection nozzle has a surface width L1 from the inner end of the opposing surface on the processing tank side to the ejection port. Is formed so that the surface width L2 from the outer end of the opposite surface opposite to the treatment tank to the jet port is increased, and the surface widths L1 and L2 are 5 mm ≦ L1 ≦ 50 mm. 15 mm ≦ L2 ≦ 80 mm.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the treatment tank is open to the atmosphere, and the jet port is downward from a position corresponding to the upper end of the opening. Toward, it is characterized in that it is formed to have a length of 1/20 or less of the total length of the opening.

  A ninth aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the sixth to eighth aspects, wherein the treatment tank is open to the atmosphere, and the ejection nozzle includes the opposing surface and the above-described surface. It is characterized by being arranged so that the distance from the substrate gradually becomes narrower downward.

According to the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 9, as a sealing mechanism for suppressing outflow of the processing liquid around the opening of the processing tank, the processing liquid is directed toward the opening below the surface of the processing liquid. Since the liquid ejection nozzle that ejects the liquid is provided, the treatment liquid ejected from the liquid ejection nozzle can suppress the outflow of the treatment liquid from the opening of the treatment tank without using a seal roller that sandwiches the substrate.
As a result, it is possible to prevent the transfer of foreign matter due to the close contact of the seal roller with the base material, and to prevent the base material processed with the processing liquid from being defective.
Furthermore, since the liquid ejection nozzle ejects the treatment liquid, it is possible to prevent liquids having different compositions from flowing into the treatment tank and adversely affecting the substrate.

  In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the liquid ejection nozzles are respectively provided on both sides of the opening in the recovery tank provided outside the processing tank, and the processing liquid intersects the transport direction of the substrate. Since the liquid is ejected in the direction, the processing liquid flowing out from the opening along the both surfaces of the base material can be pressed into the processing tank, and the outflow of the processing liquid can be efficiently suppressed. . Further, the ejected processing liquid and the processing liquid overflowing from the opening can be easily recovered from the recovery tank and reused.

  Furthermore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, in order to keep the ejection pressure of the liquid ejection nozzle constant by the head pressure, unlike the case of ejection by a mechanical device such as a pump, the pressure from the opening due to the strength of the ejection pressure is reduced. The outflow of the processing liquid can be prevented.

  On the other hand, according to the invention described in claim 4, as a sealing mechanism, a labyrinth is formed on both sides of the base material w between the downstream side of the liquid ejection nozzle in the recovery tank, and these The labyrinth formed a treatment liquid outflow path along the surface of the substrate and formed a plurality of retention portions of the treatment liquid communicating with the outflow path. The processing liquid can be retained by flowing into the part. Thereby, the flow rate of the processing liquid can be reduced, the outflow of the subsequent processing liquid can be suppressed, and the outflow amount of the processing liquid from the processing tank can be reduced.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the processing liquid that has flowed out downstream of the liquid ejection nozzle is stored in the water tank, and the processing liquid corresponding to the height difference of the partition wall is sequentially transferred to the partition wall in the inflow tank. It overflows from the upper end of the bottom or gradually flows out to the downstream compartment through the opening. Therefore, the flow rate of the processing liquid flowing out from the opening of the processing tank can be reduced by this inflow tank, and the outflow amount of the processing liquid from the processing tank can be reduced similarly to the invention according to claim 4. it can.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the liquid ejection nozzle is disposed so that the distance between the opposing surface on the base material side and the base material is 0.1 mm or more and is maintained at 2.5 mm or less. In addition to preventing the substrate from coming into contact with the opposing surface and being damaged, it is possible to prevent an increase in the amount of liquid flowing out of the treatment tank.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the liquid ejection nozzle is disposed from the ejection port on the opposing surface to the processing tank rather than the surface width L1 from the ejection port on the opposing surface to the inner end on the processing tank side. And the surface widths L1 and L2 are set to 5 mm ≦ L1 ≦ 50 mm and 15 mm ≦ L2 ≦ 80 mm, respectively. As a result, it is possible to prevent an increase in the amount of the processing liquid ejected from the processing tank and to prevent an increase in the amount of the processing liquid flowing out from the processing tank.

  On the other hand, since the treatment tank is open to the atmosphere, the pressure of the treatment liquid accommodated therein gradually increases toward the bottom, and the outflow pressure of the treatment liquid is small in the upper part of the opening and in the lower part of the opening. Since it becomes larger, the amount of outflow from the lower part than the upper part of the opening is remarkably increased.

  Therefore, according to the invention described in claim 8, the jet port has a length that is 1/20 or more and 1/2 or less of the entire length of the opening from the position corresponding to the upper end of the opening downward. By forming the ejection port at a position corresponding to the upper part of the opening, it is possible to suppress the outflow of the processing liquid having a small outflow pressure from the upper part of the opening and obtain an effective sealing action. At the same time, an increase in the amount of the processing liquid ejected from the liquid ejection nozzle can be suppressed by ejection to the processing liquid where the outflow pressure from the lower portion of the opening is large and it is difficult to suppress outflow.

  That is, by making the total length of the jet port to be 1/20 or more of the total length of the opening, a sufficient sealing action to press the processing liquid flowing out from the opening toward the processing tank is obtained, and the total length of the jet port is set to the full length of the opening. By setting it to 1/2 or less of this, an increase in the amount of treatment liquid ejected from the ejection port can be suppressed.

  Further, as described above, the amount of outflow from the lower part of the processing liquid from the upper part of the opening is remarkably increased as described above, and the substrate w is supported by the hydraulic pressure at the lower part rather than the upper part. There is a risk that the upper part will be greatly shaken in the direction intersecting the transport direction, and may come into contact with the opening of the processing tank or the opposing surface of the liquid ejection nozzle to be damaged.

  Accordingly, the invention according to claim 9 is arranged such that the upper part of the substrate is opposed to the ejection nozzle by disposing the ejection nozzle so that the interval between the opposed surface and the substrate gradually decreases downward. When passing between, it can be prevented from coming into contact with the opposing surface and being damaged, and a large amount of processing liquid can be prevented from flowing out along the lower part of the opposing surface. The formation of scratches can be prevented, and the outflow of the processing liquid can be efficiently suppressed. At this time, the opening width of the treatment tank is formed so as to gradually decrease downward, and the ejection nozzle is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the opening, so that the distance between the opposed surface of the ejection nozzle and the substrate is increased. When narrowed gradually downward, the upper part of the base material can be prevented from coming into contact with the opening of the treatment tank, and the treatment liquid can be prevented from flowing out from the lower part of the opening. The formation of scratches on the substrate can be prevented, and the outflow of the treatment liquid can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, a plating apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The plating apparatus of this embodiment has a plating tank (treatment tank) 1 in which a copper sulfate plating solution is filled, and this plating tank 1 is supported on a floor by a base 19.

  The plating tank 1 has a rectangular shape in plan view with an upper part opened to the atmosphere, and a pair of side walls 1a disposed along the longitudinal direction and a pair disposed at both ends in the longitudinal direction. It is comprised by the edge part side wall (opposite side surface) 1b and the bottom part. In the end side wall 1b, elongated rectangular slits (openings) 10 through which the band-like base material w passes are formed perpendicularly to each other at the center between the side walls 1a. Each of the slits 10 is formed so that the slit width is larger than the thickness of the base material w and is longer than the total length in the vertical direction of the base material w in order to prevent contact between the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the base material w. In addition, the upper end thereof is formed at a position separated from the upper end of the end side wall 1b. Thereby, the slit 10 has a gap L6 (see FIG. 7) between the upper end and the lower end of the base material w, respectively, and the gap L6 is in the plating tank 1. From the viewpoint of preventing the plating solution from flowing out, the thickness is 10 mm or less, more preferably 5 mm or less.

  Here, the substrate w has a band width in a state in which a sputter layer of a nickel chrome alloy is formed on one surface of a strip-shaped polyimide film having a thickness of several tens of μm, and a copper sputter layer is formed on the alloy sputter layer. The direction is arranged in the vertical direction. The base material w passes through the slit 10 and is supplied into the plating tank 1, and the above alloy is provided by electrodes (not shown) disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the plating apparatus. The sputter layer and the copper sputter layer are energized in the plating apparatus.

  In addition, a slit 111 is formed in the upper portion of the side wall 1a so as to keep the liquid level in the plating tank 1 constant along the longitudinal direction at a position above the upper end of the base material w. An overflow tank 112 for temporarily storing the plating solution flowing out from the tank is integrally provided. The overflow tank 112 is configured to discharge the plating liquid flowing out from the slit 111 to the circulating liquid storage tank 3 disposed below the plating tank 1 by a discharge pipe (not shown) connected to the bottom plate. Yes.

  The bottom of the plating tank 1 is formed so as to be gradually inclined from the both end portions in the width direction toward the center portion so that the center portion between the side walls 1a becomes the deepest portion. A diffuser 13 for flowing the plating solution along the longitudinal direction is disposed at the deepest portion of the tank 1.

  The diffuser 13 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a pipe 13a for ejecting air along the arrangement direction is disposed therein, and the plating liquid in the circulating liquid storage tank 3 includes a pipe and a pump. It is supplied by liquid feeding means (not shown), and a large number of holes are formed in the outer peripheral wall surface.

  Further, each end side wall 1b is integrally formed with a bottomed cylindrical recovery tank 22 that surrounds the slit 10 with the end side wall 1b as one side surface and collects the plating solution flowing out from the slit 10. Yes. These recovery tanks 22 are each provided with an elongated slit 27a that allows the base material w to pass vertically on the wall surface 27 that faces the end side wall 1b, and the sealing mechanism 2 is provided therein. .

  Further, the recovery tank 22 has a discharge port 22a formed on the downstream side of the seal mechanism 2, and a discharge pipe 25 is connected to the discharge port 22a. It is discharged to the circulating fluid storage tank 3.

  Next, two embodiments of the seal mechanism 2 will be described.

[First Embodiment]
The sealing mechanism 2 in the first embodiment has a liquid ejection nozzle 20 provided on both sides of the slit 10 in proximity to the end side wall 1b, and a base material w on the downstream side of the liquid ejection nozzle 20 therebetween. Labyrinths are formed on both sides.

  The liquid ejection nozzle 20 is formed in a prismatic cylinder shape (a rectangular cylinder shape in the present embodiment), and a flow path for the plating solution is formed along the longitudinal direction inside, and is disposed vertically. The plating tank 1 is disposed in pairs on both sides of the base material w which is conveyed outward through the slit 27a from the slit 10 in the recovery tank 22. Each liquid ejection nozzle 20 is formed with a series (elongated in this embodiment) of ejection holes 20a that eject the plating solution substantially perpendicularly to the conveying direction of the base material w that passes through the slit 10. The spout 20a is formed vertically from a position corresponding to at least the upper end of the slit 10 to a position corresponding to the lower end of the slit 10 (see FIG. 7), and the plating solution flowing out of the slit 10 is put into the plating tank 1. It is designed to press toward it.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the liquid ejection nozzle 20 has an opposing surface 200 on the substrate w side on which an elongated ejection port 20 a is formed and is disposed in parallel with the substrate w, and the ejection port 20 a. A circular channel 20b having a circular cross-section communicating with is formed continuously in the vertical direction. A communication path 201 for communicating the flow path 20b and the jet outlet 20a is formed perpendicular to the base material w, and the path width L3 of the base end 202 on the flow path 20b side in the communication path 201 is based on the base width w3. It is uniformly formed toward the material w side.

  The road width L3 is formed to satisfy 0.05 mm ≦ L3 ≦ 0.5 mm, more preferably 0.1 mm ≦ L3 ≦ 0.3 mm. The dimension of such a road width L3 is that if the road width L3 is less than 0.05 mm, the amount of the plating solution ejected is remarkably reduced so that the plating solution flowing out from the slit 10 is directed into the plating tank 1. If the road width L3 exceeds 0.5 mm, sufficient injection pressure cannot be ensured, and as a result, sufficient sealing action cannot be obtained. is there.

  Further, the liquid jet nozzle 20 is chamfered so that the tip 203 of the communication passage 201 on the jet outlet 20a side gradually increases toward the base material w, and the chamfering amount M1 at the facing surface 200 is chamfered. It is formed to be 8 mm or less, more preferably 5 mm or less. The chamfering in the present embodiment is not limited to an angle of 45 °. In the liquid ejection nozzle 20, a narrow seal path 20c is formed between the facing surface 200 and the base material w to prevent the plating liquid from flowing out from the plating tank 1 by the plating liquid ejected from the ejection port 20a. .

  Such chamfering of the tip portion 203 is performed even when the liquid jet nozzle 20 is disposed so that the jet ports 20a on both sides of the base material w are slightly removed from the same straight line. Swaying left and right in the direction intersecting the conveying direction is suppressed by the jet pressure of. The reason why the chamfering amount M1 is set to 8 mm or less, more preferably 5 mm or less is that when the chamfering amount M1 exceeds 8 mm, the sealing action is remarkably reduced due to a decrease in the ejection pressure, and the chamfering amount M1 is 5 mm or less. This is because the plating solution ejected from the ejection port 20a can ensure the sealing action even if the entire length of the seal path 20c is reduced.

  Further, in the liquid ejection nozzle 20, in the seal path 20c, the distance L4 between the facing surface 200 and the base material w is 0.1 mm ≦ L4 ≦ 2.5 mm, more preferably 0.2 mm ≦ L4 ≦ 1.5 mm. It is formed as follows. The interval L4 in such a range is provided when the interval L4 is less than 0.1 mm, the base material w may come into contact with the facing surface 200, and when the interval L4 exceeds 2.5 mm, the seal This is because the width of the path 20c increases and the amount of the plating solution flowing out of the plating tank 1 increases.

  Further, the liquid ejection nozzle 20 is formed of a water-repellent material such as Teflon (registered trademark) so that at least the opposing surface 200 suppresses formation of scratches on the surface of the substrate w due to contact with the substrate w. The corners at both ends in the conveyance direction of the material w are chamfered so that the chamfering amount M2 at the facing surface 200 is 1 mm or more. Accordingly, when the leading end portion of the base material w is inserted from the slit 10 into the seal path 20c, or when the terminal end portion of the base material w is passed from the slit 10 to the seal path 20c, the corner portion of the ejection nozzle 20 comes into contact. Thus, the surface of the base material w is not damaged. In addition, in this embodiment, although the chamfered surface is formed in planar shape, the nozzle 20 is more preferably formed in a curved surface shape.

  Furthermore, the liquid ejection nozzle 20 has a labyrinth side (treatment) of the facing surface 200 rather than a surface width L1 from the inner end of the facing surface 200 on the plating tank 1 side to the edge of the ejection port 20a on the plating tank 1 side. The surface width L2 from the outer end on the side opposite to the tank) to the labyrinth side edge of the spout 20a is large, and the surface widths L1 and L2 are 5 mm ≦ L1 ≦ 50 mm, and 15 mm ≦ L2 ≦ 80 mm More preferably, 10 mm ≦ L1 ≦ 35 mm and 25 mm ≦ L2 ≦ 50 mm.

  This is because, when L2 is smaller than L1, the plating solution ejected from the ejection port 20a tends to flow out toward the collection tank 22 rather than pressing the plating liquid flowing out from the slit 10 toward the plating tank 1 side. As a result, the amount of the plating solution ejected from the ejection port 20a increases. If L1 is less than 5 mm, the plating solution flowing out from the plating tank 1 flows out to the position facing the spout 20a without obtaining a sufficient pressure loss in the seal passage 20c. This is because, when L2 is less than 15 mm, the amount of plating solution ejected from the ejection port 20a increases when L2 is smaller than L1. If 50 mm or L2 exceeds 80 mm, the facing surface 200 may come into contact with the base material w.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the liquid ejection nozzle 20 has, as a second example, the upper end of the ejection port 20 a directed downward from a position corresponding to the upper end of the slit 10, and the entire length L <b> 5 of the ejection port 20 a is slit 10. Is formed so that the length is 1 / 20L ≦ L5 ≦ 1 / 2L, more preferably 1 / 10L ≦ L5 ≦ 1 / 3L, and the jet outlet 20a is located at a position corresponding to the upper portion of the slit 10. It is more desirable to arrange.

  This is because the plating bath 1 is open to the atmosphere, so that the pressure of the plating solution gradually increases toward the bottom, and the outflow pressure of the plating solution increases remarkably at the lower portion of the slit 10. For this reason, even if the ejection port 20a of the liquid ejection nozzle 20 is positioned corresponding to the lower portion of the slit 10, the sealing action by the plating solution ejected from the ejection port 20a is small. As a result, the plating solution from the ejection nozzle 20 Since only the amount of ejection is increased, by disposing the ejection port 20a at a position corresponding to the upper portion of the slit 10, the outflow of the plating solution from the upper portion of the slit 10 can be efficiently suppressed and effective. A good sealing action. Furthermore, the reason why the total length L5 of the jet outlet 20a is formed to the above-mentioned length is that when the total length L5 of the jet outlet 20a exceeds 1 / 2L, the outflow amount of the plating solution from the jet outlet 20a increases. This is because the sealing action cannot be obtained when the total length L5 is 1 / 20L or less.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the liquid ejection nozzle 20 is formed so that the opening width of the slit 10 gradually decreases downward as shown in FIG. It is more desirable to arrange so that the distance L4 between the facing surface 200 and the base material w becomes gradually narrower downward.
This is because, as described above, the outflow pressure of the plating solution is small at the upper portion of the slit 10 and is increased at the lower portion of the slit 10, so that the outflow amount of the plating solution from the lower portion is significantly larger than the upper portion of the slit 10. As a result, the transport posture is supported by the hydraulic pressure in the lower part than the upper part of the base material w. Therefore, the upper and lower sides of the base material w have larger left-right deflection, and contact with the slit 10 and the facing surface 200. There is a risk of injury. Therefore, the opening width and the interval L4 of the slit 10 are gradually decreased downward to prevent the upper part of the base material w from being damaged, and the plating solution from flowing out from the lower part of the slit 10 is prevented. This is to prevent a large amount of plating solution from flowing out.

On the other hand, in the sealing mechanism 2, a head tank 23 is disposed at least above the surface of the plating solution in the plating tank 1, and the downstream end of the pipe 24 connected to the head tank 23 is the liquid ejection nozzle 20. The pipe 24 is installed so that the water head pressure by the head tank 23 is 10 cm or more and 3 m or less, more preferably 30 cm or more and 1 m or less. This is because if the water head pressure is less than 10 cm, a sufficient sealing action cannot be obtained, and if it exceeds 3 m, the outflow amount of the plating solution from the liquid jet nozzle 20 increases.

On the other hand, a pipe 26 for supplying a plating solution stored in the circulating fluid storage tank 3 is connected to the head tank 23 via a pump 26a.
As a result, the plating solution having a constant jet pressure from the head tank 23 is jetted from the jet port 20a by the liquid jet nozzle 20, and in particular, the pressure is higher from the lower jet port 20a than the upper jet port 20a. The plating solution is jetted, and the high-pressure plating solution flowing out from the lower portion of the slit 10 is also pressed toward the plating tank 1.

On the other hand, the labyrinth has a plurality of elongated plate-like members 21 having protrusions 21a on the base material w side on both sides of the base material w along the transport path in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the base material w. It is formed by a plurality of gaps between the protruding portions 21a formed by the arrangement, that is, a plurality of plating solution retaining portions 21b.
In addition, the protruding portion 21a is disposed with a certain gap (2 mm in the present embodiment) between the protruding portion 21a and the base material w. An outflow path for the plating solution flowing out along the surface of the film is formed. Thereby, the retention part 21b is formed in communication with the outflow path, and retains the plating solution flowing out along the outflow path.

  Each elongated plate-like member 21 includes a frame 29 having a U-shaped cross section disposed along the most downstream elongated plate-like member 21, the frame 29, the elongated plate-like member 21, and a liquid ejection nozzle. 20 and an engagement member (a bolt and a nut in the present embodiment) penetrating through the end side wall 1b and fixed in close contact with each other. On the other hand, in addition to the elongated plate member 21 and the liquid ejection nozzle 20, a pipe 24 is disposed inside the frame body 29.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the seal mechanism 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
In addition, about the thing same as the sealing mechanism 2 in 1st Embodiment, description shall be abbreviate | omitted by using the same code | symbol.

  As in the first embodiment, the sealing mechanism 2 in the second embodiment includes a liquid ejection nozzle 20 provided on both sides of the slit 10 in proximity to the end side wall 1b, and a downstream side of the ejection nozzle 20. And an open-air inflow tank 4 capable of storing the plating solution flowing out from the slit 10. In other words, the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the inflow tank 4 is provided instead of the labyrinth.

In the inflow tank 4, a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) partition walls 44 are arranged at equal intervals in the transport direction in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the base material w. In addition, the lower end portion of the partition wall 44 is integrally provided at the bottom of the inflow tank 4, and the inside of the tank is divided into a plurality of (5 tanks in the present embodiment) partition tanks 46. The outer wall disposed in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the base material w of the partition wall 44 and the inflow tank 4 is formed such that the upper end is lowered toward the downstream side and at a position corresponding to the slit 10. An elongated slit 45 that allows the substrate w to pass therethrough is formed vertically. These slits 45 are all formed from the upper end to the lower end of the plate surface, and the slit width is formed larger than the plate thickness of the base material w.
On the other hand, the upper end of the outer wall of the inflow tank 4 disposed along the transport direction of the base material w is formed corresponding to the upper end of the partition wall 44 and the outer wall disposed in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction. It is formed so as to be gradually inclined downward toward the downstream side.

  The inflow tank 4 includes a frame 29 having a U-shaped cross section disposed along the outer wall surface on the downstream side, the frame 29, the inflow tank 4 (including the partition wall 44), the liquid ejection nozzle 20, and the like. It is fixed in contact with the outer wall surface of the liquid ejection nozzle 20 by engaging members (bolts and nuts in the present embodiment) penetrating the end side wall 1b. On the other hand, in addition to the inflow tank 4 and the liquid ejection nozzle 20, a pipe 24 is disposed inside the frame body 29.

Next, the operation of the plating apparatus in the first embodiment will be described.
First, the base material w sequentially passes through the slits 27a of the collection tank 22 in the state where the sputter layer is energized by the electrodes respectively disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the plating apparatus, and on both sides. After moving between the provided labyrinths, it moves between a pair of liquid ejection nozzles 20 provided on both sides, and is conveyed into the plating tank 1 from the slit 10 formed in one end side wall 1b.

  At that time, although the plating solution in the plating tank 1 flows out from the slit 10 along both surfaces of the base material w, this plating solution has a constant ejection pressure naturally flowing from the head tank 23 ejected from the liquid ejection nozzle 20. It is pressed toward the inside of the plating tank 1 by the plating solution. Further, the plating solution flowing out between the liquid jet nozzles 20 flows out along the outflow path formed between the elongated plate-like member 21 forming the labyrinth and the base material w, and is formed in communication with the outflow path. It stays by flowing into the staying part 21b between the protruding parts 21a, and sequentially flows out to the downstream side while suppressing the outflow of the subsequent plating solution. Thereby, the outflow amount of the plating solution from the plating tank 1 is reduced.

  On the other hand, the plating solution that has flowed out of the labyrinth is discharged from the discharge port 22a to the circulating liquid storage tank 3 through the discharge pipe 25.

  On the other hand, the base material w supplied into the plating tank 1 gradually forms a slit 10 formed on the other side wall 1b of the plating tank 1 after a copper plating layer is formed on the sputter layer by the plating solution. After passing and moving between the labyrinth, it moves between the pair of liquid ejection nozzles 20 and is carried out from the slit 27a of the wall surface 27 to the outside.

  At that time, the plating solution in the plating tank 1 flows out from the slit 10 along both surfaces of the base material w as described above, but is pressed toward the plating tank 1 by the plating solution from the liquid jet nozzle 20. The Further, the plating solution that has flowed out of the liquid jet nozzle 20 is retained by flowing into the retaining portion 21b between the protruding portions 21a in the labyrinth. Thereby, the outflow amount of the plating solution from the plating tank 1 is reduced. On the other hand, the plating solution that has flowed out of the labyrinth is discharged from the discharge port 22a to the circulating liquid storage tank 3 through the discharge pipe 25.

  On the other hand, when the plating solution in the plating tank 1 overflows from the slit 111, the plating solution is discharged to the circulating liquid storage tank 3 through the overflow tank 112, and from the circulating liquid storage tank 3 to the diffuser 13 by the liquid feeding means. It is circulated and supplied to the inside.

  According to the plating apparatus in the first embodiment described above, the liquid ejection nozzles 20 are provided on both sides of the base material w in the recovery tank 22 outside the plating tank 1, and the liquid ejection nozzle 20 has slits 10. Since the ejection port 20a for ejecting the plating solution substantially perpendicularly to the conveying direction of the base material w passing through the substrate is formed, the plating solution flowing out from the slit 10 along the base material w is efficiently directed into the plating tank 1. Can be pressed.

  Further, the plurality of elongated plate-like members 21 constituting the labyrinth are arranged vertically, and the elongated plate-like members 21 are arranged along the conveyance direction in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the base material. The plate member 21 can form an outflow path for the plating solution flowing out along both surfaces of the base material w. Further, since the protruding portion 21a of the elongated plate-like member 21 is arranged toward the base material w side, a staying portion 21b communicating with the outflow path can be formed between the protruding portions 21a, and the plating solution that flows out along the outflow path Is retained in the retention part 21b, whereby the flow rate of the plating solution can be reduced. For this reason, the outflow of the subsequent plating solution can be suppressed, and the outflow amount of the plating solution from the plating tank 1 can be reduced.

  As a result, it is possible to efficiently suppress the outflow of the plating solution from the slit 10 without using a seal roller for sandwiching the base material w, and to prevent the adhesion of foreign matter due to the close contact of the seal roller with the base material w. Defects can be prevented from occurring in the copper plating layer formed on the substrate w.

  Further, the liquid ejection nozzle 20 ejects the plating solution supplied from the circulating fluid storage tank 3 stored in the head tank 23 with a constant ejection pressure due to natural flow, so that the liquid ejection nozzle 20 is ejected by a mechanical device such as a pump. In contrast, it is possible to prevent the plating solution from flowing out of the slit 10 due to the strength of the ejection pressure. In addition, since the ejection port 20a ejects the plating solution in the circulating fluid storage tank 3 discharged from the plating tank 1 through the head tank 23, the plating process can be efficiently performed without mixing impurities in the plating tank 1. It can be performed.

Next, the operation of the plating apparatus in the second embodiment will be described.
The base material w sequentially passes through the slits 27a of the recovery tank 22 and moves between the slits 45 in the inflow tank 4 while the sputter layer is energized, and then a pair of liquid jets provided on both sides. It moves between the nozzles 20 and is conveyed into the plating tank 1 from the slit 10 formed in one end side wall 1b.

At that time, although the plating solution in the plating tank 1 flows out from the slit 10 along both surfaces of the base material w, this plating solution has a constant ejection pressure naturally flowing from the head tank 23 ejected from the liquid ejection nozzle 20. It is pressed toward the inside of the plating tank 1 by the plating solution. Further, the plating solution that has flowed out between the liquid ejection nozzles 20 sequentially overflows from the upper end of the partition wall 44 or corresponds to the partition wall 46 on the downstream side through the slit 45 in the inflow tank 4. It gradually leaks toward. As a result, the flow rate of the plating solution flowing out from the slit 10 is reduced, the subsequent outflow of the plating solution is suppressed, and the outflow amount of the plating solution from the plating tank 1 is reduced.
On the other hand, the plating solution flowing out from the inflow tank 4 is discharged from the discharge port 22a to the circulating liquid storage tank 3 through the discharge pipe 25.

  On the other hand, the base material w supplied into the plating tank 1 gradually passes through the slit 10 formed in the other side wall 1b of the plating tank 1 after the copper plating layer is formed by the plating solution, and flows into the plating tank 1 After moving between the slits 45 in the tank 4, it moves between the pair of liquid ejection nozzles 20 and is carried out from the slit 27 a of the wall surface 27 to the outside.

At that time, the plating solution in the plating tank 1 flows out from the slit 10 as described above, but is pressed toward the plating tank 1 by the plating solution from the liquid jet nozzle 20 and is downstream in the inflow tank 4. It gradually flows out toward the partition tank 46 on the side, and the outflow amount decreases.
On the other hand, the plating solution flowing out from the inflow tank 4 is discharged from the discharge port 22a to the circulating liquid storage tank 3 through the discharge pipe 25.

  On the other hand, when the plating solution in the plating tank 1 flows out from the slit 111 and the slit 10 in the same manner as the plating apparatus in the first embodiment, the plating solution is discharged to the circulating fluid storage tank 3 and from the circulating fluid storage tank 3. It is circulated and supplied into the diffuser 13 by the liquid feeding means.

  According to the plating apparatus in the second embodiment described above, since the liquid ejection nozzle 20 is provided as in the plating apparatus in the first embodiment, the plating liquid ejected from the liquid ejection nozzle 20 causes the substrate w to be applied to the substrate w. The plating solution flowing out from the slit 10 along the slit can be efficiently pressed into the plating tank 1.

  Further, an inflow tank 4 that is open to the atmosphere is disposed downstream of the liquid ejection nozzle 20, a partition tank 46 partitioned by a plurality of partition walls 44 is provided in the inflow tank 4, and gradually toward the downstream side. Since the partition wall 44 is formed low, the plating solution corresponding to the height difference of the partition wall 44 can be gradually discharged toward the partition tank 46 on the downstream side. For this reason, similarly to the plating apparatus in the first embodiment, the subsequent plating solution can be prevented from flowing out, and the plating from the plating tank 1 can be efficiently performed without using a seal roller for sandwiching the base material w. The outflow amount of the liquid can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent foreign matters from adhering to the base material w due to the close contact of the seal roller, and it is possible to prevent the copper plating layer formed on the base material w from being defective.

  Similarly to the plating apparatus in the first embodiment, the liquid ejection nozzle 20 ejects the plating solution supplied from the circulating fluid storage tank 3 stored in the head tank 23 with a constant ejection pressure due to natural flow. Further, it is possible to prevent the plating solution from flowing out of the slit 10 due to the strength of the jet pressure. In addition, since the ejection port 20a ejects the plating solution in the circulating fluid storage tank 3 discharged from the plating tank 1 through the head tank 23, it is possible to prevent impurities from entering the plating tank 1.

  In addition, this invention is not limited at all by the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, the processing tank does not have to be the plating tank 1, as long as the processing liquid is accommodated therein and a pair of elongated openings 10 through which the base material w can pass are formed on the end side wall 1 b. Good.

It is a cross-sectional view of the plating apparatus in the first embodiment. It is an II-II line arrow figure of FIG. FIG. 3 is a view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. It is a cross-sectional view of the plating apparatus in the second embodiment. It is the VV line arrow figure of FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid ejection nozzle 20. FIG. It is a VII-VII arrow figure of Drawing 7, and is a longitudinal section showing slit 10 and liquid jet nozzle 20. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second example of the liquid ejection nozzle 20. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a third example of the liquid ejection nozzle 20. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 treatment tank (plating tank)
1b End side wall (opposite side)
2 Sealing mechanism 10 Slit (opening)
20 Liquid ejection nozzle

Claims (9)

An elongated opening having a treatment tank containing a treatment liquid inside, and passing a belt-like base material that is disposed on the opposite side surface of the treatment tank so that the band width direction is arranged vertically. And a substrate processing apparatus provided with a sealing mechanism for suppressing the outflow of the processing liquid around the opening,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the sealing mechanism includes a liquid ejection nozzle that ejects the processing liquid toward the opening side below the surface of the processing liquid. Outside the opposed side surface is provided with a bottomed cylindrical collection tank that surrounds the opening with the opposed side surface as one side surface and collects the treatment liquid flowing out from the opening,
The liquid ejection nozzle is provided in both sides of the recovery tank and sandwiching the opening, and each of the liquid ejection nozzles is directed toward a direction intersecting a transport direction of the base material passing through the opening. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is disposed so as to eject a processing liquid.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid jet nozzle is maintained at a constant jet pressure by a head pressure.   The sealing mechanism is formed on the downstream side of the liquid ejection nozzle in the recovery tank and on both sides of the base material between the processing liquid outflow paths along the surface of the base material. The base material processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a labyrinth is formed that forms a plurality of staying portions of the processing liquid communicating with the outflow path and reduces a flow rate of the processing liquid. . The sealing mechanism is provided with an air-opening inflow tank in which the processing liquid can be stored downstream of the liquid ejection nozzle in the recovery tank,
The inflow tank is divided into a plurality of partition tanks by arranging a plurality of partition walls along the transport direction in a direction crossing the transport direction of the base material in the tank. The partition wall is gradually formed lower toward the downstream side, and an opening through which the base material passes is formed corresponding to the opening. Base material processing equipment.   In the liquid ejection nozzle, the ejection port for ejecting the treatment liquid is formed in an elongated shape in the vertical direction on the opposing surface on the substrate side, and the opposing surface is 0.1 mm or more from the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is disposed so as to maintain an interval of 2.5 mm or less.   The liquid ejection nozzle is formed from the outer end of the facing surface on the opposite side to the processing tank and from the outer end of the facing surface on the opposite side of the surface width L1 from the inner end of the facing surface to the ejection port. 7. The base according to claim 6, wherein the surface widths L 2 and L 2 are 5 mm ≦ L 1 ≦ 50 mm and 15 mm ≦ L 2 ≦ 80 mm. Material processing equipment.   The treatment tank is open to the atmosphere, and the jet port is 1/20 or more and 1/2 or less of the entire length of the opening downward from a position corresponding to the upper end of the opening. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is formed.   7. The treatment tank according to claim 6, wherein the treatment tank is open to the atmosphere, and the ejection nozzle is disposed so that a distance between the facing surface and the base material is gradually narrowed downward. The base material processing apparatus as described in any one of thru | or 8.

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